Three members of the popular Bandera Cattle Company Gunfighters appeared to answer misdemeanor charges in Bandera County Court on Thursday, July 7.
County Judge Richard Evans arraigned Paul Warren Ingenhutt, 25, of Comfort; Leroy “Tommy” Knotts, 73, of Bandera; and Charles B. “Chuck” Monsen, 75, of Pipe Creek, on charges of criminal trespass.
After Evans asked Monson if he understood the charges, Monsen replied, “I understand what I’m charged with, but I’m not guilty.”
“You’re not (considered) guilty of anything right now,” Evans noted.
The charges stemmed from an incident of double parking in a lot adjacent to The Cowboy Store, 302 Main Street, in Bandera, in November 2015. Fred Moore, owner of the store, filed the criminal trespass complaint against the gunfighters.
After pleading “not guilty” in county court, Ingenhutt, Knotts and Monsen refused an offered plea bargain and indicated they would request a jury trial. County Attorney Janna Lindig will prosecute the case.
The plea bargain included $250 fine, $275 court costs and 90-day probation during which time the men must report to adult probation once a month, among other stipulations.
Since charges had been filed at large by the City of Bandera Marshal’s Office, after the arraignment, the men reported to the Bandera County Jail to be booked and fingerprinted and to have their mug shots taken.
After their magistration, the three were released on personal bonds. A pre-trial hearing has been set for 30 days.
On Saturdays, the gunfighters provide historical re-enactments behind the Bandera County Convention & Visitors Bureau geared primarily for visitors to the Cowboy Capital of the World.